Improvement in sewing-machines



1.1. CUUCH.

Sewing Machine. A No. 27,593. 'Patented March 20, 1860.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. COUCl-T, 0F vBROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR TO J OSIAH S. SVAN, OF NFV YORK CITY, N. Y.

i'MBRovEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specliication-forming part'of Letters Patent No. 27.593,1lated March 20, 1860.

To all whom it may concer-n.; f

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. cesen-,tf Brooklyn, State'of New York, have `invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the fol- 'lowing to bea full, clear, and exact descrip tion of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

--My invention consists, first, in maintaining the needle-thread of a sewing-machine tight the point of the needle penetrates the fabric,

delivering out the necessary amount of thread for forming the loop, andfor the distension of Athe loop by the passage through itof the shuttlc, and finally drawing up' the slack thread,

so as to complete the stitch by means of a lever or its ,equivalentito which affriction is. imparted bymeans of washers and a clam-p orv other suitable devices,'and which is operated by the 'needle-arm or other moving part of the j machine, substantially as .described `herein-` after;v secondly, in .the combination of lan. ad "justable'eye with the above-mentionedA lever or its equivalent, whereby the amount of slack -thread delivered .out lmay .be regulated vtosuit the thickness of theffabric; thirdly, in a com'- bination ofthe same lever, when operated-and applied substantiallyas described hereinafter,

with the shuttle of thesewingmachine, whereby the said. lever may become a self-'acting` medium of delivering out any extra amount of thread which may be required in operating oni a seam. or any unusual thickness in the fabric,

. therebypreventing the breakage of thethread,"

which frequently occurs under such circum'-4 stances.

In order to lenable others to make and use my'invention, I will now proceed to l describe its construction and operation.

' On reference toI theaccompanying drawings, which form a' part of thisspecication, Eigures l and 2 are sideviews of sufficient of a sewingmachine to illustrate `my improvements; Fig;

3, an end view ofthe machine, looking toward the rear; Fig. 4, a detached view of my improvement, .drawnto'an'enlarged.scale; Fig. 5,

a sectional view of Fig. 4 on the line 1 2.

, Similar letters refer to similar parts throughoutthe several views.

A'is the base-pl' te of the machine, on which the fabric to be operated upon is placed.

l B is the needle-arm, hung to the points of studs a a, which are screwed into projections b b on the base-plate A, the needlearni being caused to vibrate bythe usual revolving` cam- 'on a drivingshaft underneath the buse-plate.

` C isthe pressure-bar, furnished at its outer end with the usual pad, d, and hung at its in-v .construction,.have been selected tov illustrate my improvcmontsf it should bo understood that the latter are applicable to others difiering in point of construction, form, and operation of parts from that illustrated.

G is a. lever hung to a stationarypin, lz, atA tached to and projecting from thebracket H, whichv in this instance is of a peculiar form vand secured to the base-plate A, but which maybe of different form to that shown and secured toany-.stationary part of the machine. To the same pin, h, is hung a plate, J, into which screws the end of a lset-screw, t, the lata ter passing freely through a hole in thebracket H,'the lower end of the plate bearing against the proj ection m on the said bracket. On each side of the lever G, and to the pin h, is hung awasher, of leather or other suitable material,

sovthat on turning the screw i the lever may be pressed with more or less force between the washers,and the freedom of the lever s' movement -orr the p in thereby increased or diminishediat pleasure. In the lever G., at a short .distance -above the point where it is hung to through which passes' the pinh, is an orice, the pin n on the needle-arm-B, this orifice being considerably larger than the pin, for a purpose whichwill be rendered apparent hereinafter. horizontal open'ing in which a rod, K, fits snugly, but so as to move freely when it has to be adjusted, a set-screw, p, in the side of the bracket serving to secure the rod in its proper position after adjustment. The thread from the spool E passes through an eye, 7c, in the turned-up-end'of this adjustable rod K, thence On the top of the bracket H is a through an eye intheend ofv'the lever theneel y arm, and thence thronghth'e eyeof the needle :does not vibrate simultaneously 'withtheneel viously in eon'tact. 'Thearm G then descends aftenwhich the .needle ,will complete its up4- `pletionof the yupward movement4 of the nee-f dle-arm. QItwill.thusbe'seen-that,fovllingtopv i the pin 'mbeing smaller than ,the hole in the: lever G, through 'whichth'e pnzpasses', andj the-friction imparted to the lever by the claiiip .tionary and elevated while the needle--v 't-,idnar'y` and depressed whilethe needlefarm -elevated. it maintains' the thread tight" and -howevinjasl to prevent the lever from yield- Fig. '1, the needlearm. being raisedto itsh'ig'hthrough an eye, 41,'11ear theend of the needle-l tothe fabric. On the requisite vibrating m'0 tion being imparted to the needle-arm B, the latter will, through its pin n, impart a vibratf. ing motion to the lever G.. rlhe latter, however,

die-arm throughout for afterbothhavereached' their most elevated positiong; as 'seen in 1, and when thel needle armi-,commences "its downward movement, .the lever-(twill l through the friction 'imparted to- -i 1, mths iampmg lplate J. and-'the' washers above.; alludedfi-,lm1re#- -main-stationary until the pin ntf-'the needleffv arm strikesthe side of the' orifice 'in thelcver opposite toth'atxwithwheh it hadbecn presimultaneously with the ,farther descent of the needle-arm until both reach the 4limit of theirb downward movement. Onthe commencement of they-return movement ofithejneedle-arxn-the lever G will',1throughzthe friction imparted by- ;thewasher's', remain depressed until the'pinn lstrikes the edge ofthe opening inthe lever op-v 'positeto that againstwhich ithadbeenprefviQusly-,ibearing as the needle-arm descended,"

ward movement simultaneously with thecenr y Aand washers, the said lever will remain' 'commences its downward` vibration, .andjeta#` commences its upward' vibration. lhefpoi' sitionof' the eye in the end of the lever Gin respect to the eye-k on the. upturned'endof the rod K, and the amount of. the movement.; of thelever, are such. that when the lattert is when it is vdepressed -it has del-i'veredoutslack thread 'suiicient'to form the loop aswell asto allow for the distension of the loop bythe passage of theshuttlef The friction imparted .to the lever 'G by the washers is so regulated by'turning the screwi that the said lever may remain stationary'and sufficiently rigid, during the commencement of the downward movement of the needle-arm to maintain theA thread tight-. The.frictionis not so great,

ing slightly, andtli'ereby delivering out a small'A portion of slackf'thrcad when the` needle is operating temporarily on a seam orfother un-4 usual thickness which mayoccur in the fabricja point whichwill be more'especiallyalluded to hereinafter. The results accomplished by the aid of this lever G- and the adjustable thread-guide K, and thefmanner in which they accomplish; the results, ,may-be described. as' follows; supposing-the 'moving parts ,abevementioned to bein thepsitiongsillustrted in.

-2 v amica v,est point and its'iiecdlc withdrawn to its farthest extent from' the fabric, the loverG being also at its highest'point and the thi-cud being thereby' drawn tight. 'As the needle-arm begins to descend, the lever G willbc retained stationary inits elevated positson by the fric,- tion of the washers, and will thus maintain thc thread tight until thepointof theneedlc penetrates a short distancef into the fabric`, th crcI by eiectu'ally preventing any loose thread from lfoldingroundthe poi-nt of th'e needle. By the i time' the needlelias penetrated a short distance'- -i-ntofthe fabric the; pin n ,will have-reached the sideo'fjtheorice'nthe-1eveffG eppositeto thatwith whiehit had' been lpreviously in contact sothat on the farthfdesnt of the ne?" dlefrm the needle fall' rapidly and deliver "outthe necessary iqna'ntity of v.thread to form vthe lopfortheentrance of the point o f the sliuttlagand for @the subsequent distension ci the loop b 'y .the of the' shuttle., the

has completed its descent.y The moving parts lhave nowssumed the position illustrated in4 lig.,j2f .fA the needlefarm begins 'to frise, Vthe' lever YG, 'remains' stationary injits' depressed positionun'til'gtlie pin "n 'b'earsl 'against the op# ,v s 'ideof the hole in the levier,..so that thethread remains slack until the heel of the. shut- *tlclpasses'lthe loop." yThe lever G n'ow rises anni. drawingthe stitchtigtt be- -cient threadto-formthe'next stitch.

' The' tbjectpf the adjstablethreaa-gniae k.

storegulate 'the'amount 'of the thread'to be delivered'outby theflever 'G to correspond tothe different thicknesses' of fabrics Vsubmitted '.tothe machinery? f l It will'bexse'enon reference to the detached -view', Fig; 4, that the distance between'theeye inthe end ofthe lever G-andthe eye k inthe uptu'rned" end fof 'the lrod 'K may be increased or ldiminished by the adjustment of .therod in` the bracket H. Thus when theturnedup end fof the'rod -occupies a position near the bracket .the thread `-its eye It and that ofthe lever, as r4representedby a-,red line, will be :imparted tothe lever G" by'the' clamp and', washersisn'ot-so Iexcessive as to prevent it. "from delivering out asmall 'amount of slack th the need1e-arm,'but much" more rapidlyl :,'thanjtheylatterftaking'jnpthe Whole of 'the f re meister reaehsits highest, point; so that. asjthe leverfOQmietes'thelimit:of its upward l movement'itwilldrawirom the spool'Evs'uiiiihread in ease of a eertain e111ergeney. The enierreney whieh ealls for this slight yielding;

ol' the lever is when a senin or plait or other unusual thickness oeours inthe i'abrie. fhen the needle is operating,` ona seam, for instance, more thread is required for completing the stiteh'than when the needle is operating,r on the body ofthe l'abrie, to suit the thiekness of whieh the rod l( has been originally adj usted. (imiseqnently when the needle-arm is at its lowest point, and as the shuttle Ienters ,the loop, the slack thread delivered out by the lever will not be sul'l'mie11tf'toallow for the distension of the loop l'or the free passage of the shuttle. -A's the latter is in the aet of passing through the loop, the thread will be drawn tight and the lever (i will yield slightly, givine` out the amount oi' extra thread required, thus obviating the necessity of causing the shuttle, in its distension of the loop, to draw the extra thread from the spool through a series ol' eyes, whieh would iinpart sueh an undue friction to the thread as to render it liable. to break. After the seanl in the fabrieI has passed from the range ot' the needle, the lever will resnine its proper positionior per forming' the duties .it has previously aecomplished, and this without any stoppage or adj ustn1ent ofthe machine.

l .It will now be .seen that thelever G, when `\'e\ved in oonneetion with the shuttle, acts a seliaeting` compensating lever, the passage o lf the shuttl e. through tlieloop causing thelever to yield to ,an amount eorrespomling to the thickness of fabric under 'whiehthe loop is formed..

l` a1n aware that auxiliary levers moved wholl y ori 11 part by the need le-ar1n or needle.- earrier have been applied to sewi11gn1aehines for drawing; 11p the slaek oi' the needle-thread.

l I do not therefore claim, broadly, the upplien- .lion ot'sueh lever; but

I elaini as lny invention and desire to seenre by Letters Patenta l.y lllaintaining,r the needle-thread of a sewing-n1aehine tight as the point of the needle penetrates the fabric, delivering` ont the neeessary amount of thread for forming the loop, and for the distension of the loop by the pas sage through it ofthe shuttle, maintaining the thread slack as the needle begins to rise, and :finally drawing,r 11p the slack thread, so-as to complete the stitch, by means' of thelever (l 01 its equivalent, in combination with the washers and clamp 01 other deviee for .i111 pari'- ing,r the desired friction to the said lever, the latter' being; operated by the needle-arm or tially as and for the purposesherein'set forth.

2. The stationary eye 7c, in combinati on with the lever G or its equivalent, when the latter is arranged, applied, and operated suhstantiall y as herein set forth, and when the said eye is made adjustable in respect to the lever, for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the lever G, applied and operate-d substantially as set forth, with the shuttle ofthe sewi11g-1naohine,so that the .said lever may yield slightly on the distension of the loop by the shuttle when more than the usual amount of thread is required for the stiteh, as herein set forth, and for the purpose speeiiied.

' In testimony,whereof have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.l

JOSEPH J. GOUH.

Witnesses:

,l Iv uNnY HoWsoN, S. N. BRADLEY..

other moving; part ofthe machine, substan-. 

